The Toronto Raptors' lucky number turned out to be nine, as their scorching win streak came to an end with an 118-111 overtime loss to the Charlotte Hornets on November 29. On paper, it was easy to assume that Toronto had a strong chance to extend their winning streak into double digits. The pre-game betting lines reflected this, with the Raptors listed as -375 favorites and the Hornets at +300 underdogs. With only the Raptors' Canadian star, RJ Barrett, sidelined, it seemed likely that Toronto could rally with their remaining roster and secure another victory.
I wouldn't have exactly counted on it, though, because if the Raptors' last contest against Charlotte (on November 17) proved anything, it's that this otherwise lowly perceived Hornets squad has a lot of fight in them. Toronto barely squeezed by in that affair (as BI called it, mirroring playoff basketball), winning by a two-point margin after some huge plays down the stretch by their key trio — RJ Barrett, Scottie Barnes, and Brandon Ingram. But this time around, Toronto was without RJ Barrett, and again, despite still being talent-rich regardless, his absence was certainly felt.
Toronto was looking hot early on, securing their highest lead over Charlotte in the first quarter at 17 points, until the momentum quickly swung in favor of the Hornets as the game entered its critical stages. While Charlotte cornerstones LaMelo Ball and Brandon Miller struggled on this night, the Hornets benefited from incredible contributions by fierce rookie Kon Knueppel and veteran forward Miles Bridges.
Raptors' impressive win streak ends courtesy of Charlotte Hornets
Knueppel secured 20 points on 50% shooting, going 4-for-7 from three, including a huge corner three in Brandon Ingram’s face late in the fourth quarter to tie the game at 104 points apiece. Bridges exploded with 35 points (a 2025–26 season high), with 16 of those points coming in the fourth quarter and overtime period — six in the 4Q and 10 in OT.
It should've been Toronto's game to win ... so what went wrong?
Well a tremendous first-half out of Raptors stars Brandon Ingram and Immanuel Quickley quickly soured into poor performances in the second-half and the lone overtime period, where it proved costly for Toronto. Ingram would be rendered completely scoreless in the fourth and in overtime, where he went 0-for-9 on his field goal attempts.
Quickley tried to pick up the pieces left by Ingram's faltering offense, but he also had a tough time (both offensively and decision-making), going 4-for-13 in the second half and in the single OT combined. Likewise, the Raptors' usual solid bench struggled mightily, with only fan favorite big man Sandro Mamukelashvili coming through for Toronto with an efficient 13-point night (the other four reserves combined for just 11 points).
Although Scottie Barnes delivered an impressive performance with 30 points on 11-for-16 shooting, 12 rebounds, five assists, two steals, and one block, it was almost as if he went unnoticed in the final moments — when his influence could've proved to be the key difference-maker.
Toronto led at key moments and simply needed to close out the game. But, their offense stalled, they went cold, struggled to generate smart plays, allowing Charlotte to mount a comeback. While it's understandable that games like this are sometimes inevitable, it's still fair to critique where Toronto could have improved. You can't count out these squads with seemingly nothing to lose, and I think that Jeremy Lamb game-winner from a number of years ago still haunts most Raptors fans — that Charlotte is always down to go tooth-and-nail until the bitter end.